Feathers of Forever
by CarnelianFox
Summary: Love is in bloom in Ponyville, and the brides are Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Having known each other from growing up, their friendship had turned into something more, and now that bond would blossom, with each Pegasus reflecting on the most admirable traits of her bride. They're moving forward, and they're doing it together.


**I don't own _My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic_. I'm just a fan. A fan, and a big Flutterdash shipper. Please enjoy.**

Excitement and a degree of unrest stirred to the south of Canterlot Mountain. The whole of Ponyville was in a frenzy unlike any other today. It was far from the usual attack from a monster, tyrant or monstrous tyrant. In fact, it was a celebratory fervor. Today was the day that two of the Elements of Harmony would take their relationship to the next step in their friendship-turned-romance.

Fluttershy, the Element of Kindness and Equestria's animal whisperer, and Rainbow Dash, the Element of Loyalty and aerial extraordinaire, had had a long friendship in which they could always turn to one another, despite their differences. They each had their own approaches to solving problems, but that didn't stop them from trying to understand one another and it certainly didn't taper the love between them.

"Okay, okay…" Princess Twilight Sparkle muttered to herself as she paced in the halls of her castle and telekinetically skimmed through her notecards, trying to memorize the sermon she had written for the wedding ceremony. Though she was a princess and part of the Alicorn tetrarchy, she hadn't expected that two of her best friends would approach her to ask that she officiate their wedding ceremony. As much as it flattered her, they may as well have sideswiped her with a chariot. "Oh, I'm so nervous! What if I miss a part?"

"Twilight, you wrote it yourself twice before transcribing it onto those cards. You'll be fine," Spike flatly commented as he adjusted his black bowtie, using his reflection in one of the crystal walls as a mirror to guide his motions.

"Besides, this is one of the fun parts of being a government official," Mayor Mare, who Twilight personally called upon for advice, claimed nonchalantly. "Of all the weddings I've officiated, the one between Bright Mac and Pear Butter is my favorite, but what I said or didn't say in any wedding isn't what's important. What's important is that every time I officiated a wedding ceremony, I got to take part in the joy of a loving pair. Besides, the fact that you're doing this at all means the world to them."

"I sure hope you're right. I just want this to be perfect for them," Twilight muttered nervously.

Spike, who had finally conquered his defiant bowtie, opened the large doors to the crystal castle with the intent to go to Carousel Boutique to check on Rarity and Fluttershy, only to be met by Pinkie Pie and the Cakes with a tall, white stack that was the wedding cake, consisting of six segments. From the top down, each stack adorned frosted butterflies colored like the rainbow; red butterflies on top, going all the way down the rainbow to violet butterflies on the bottom.

"Super extra special delivery!" Ponyville's resident party planner giddily exclaimed. "This sure was a tall order. Hahahaha!"

Twilight walked over and stood next to Spike, taking note of the little red wagon that the big cake was in. "How did you get that up the stairs?"

"I promised Gallus extra credit if he gave us a helping talon," Pinkie explained. Twilight leaned to her right to see around the cake, and indeed she found the blue griffon on the other side of the wagon. He gave a small wave. Pinkie said, "Now go get ready." Without a word, Gallus flew off.

Gallus flew, meeting up with the rest of his friends in the middle of a conversation. He greeted, "Hey, what'd I miss?"

"Oh, hey, Gallus," Sandbar returned the greeting.

"We were just talking about who's going to see which professor before the wedding. Professor Rarity is helping Professor Fluttershy get ready at the boutique, and Professor Rainbow Dash is with Professor Applejack on the farm," Ocellus informed him.

"Ocellus and I are going to go to Carousel Boutique," Smolder announced, trying to be subtle about the fact that she wanted to look at the dresses more than anything else.

"In that case, Yona want to go to Sweet Apple Acres," Yona announced.

"I'm in," Sandbar told the yak, a hue of pink washing over his cheeks as he smiled at her.

Gallus looked at Silverstream expectantly, as if to hear her plans before the wedding. She just smiled at him and shrugged. When she was met with the griffon's raised eyebrow, she simply stated, "I'm just letting the anticipation build up."

"I…guess I'm down for that," Gallus claimed, having absolutely no idea as to what the hippogriff just said entailed.

The changeling and the dragon departed from their group to arrive at Carousel Boutique just as Rarity put a butterfly-themed veil in Fluttershy's cherry blossom colored mane. Her dress was white, tinted a hue of forest green and taking inspiration from her dress from her first time at the Grand Galloping Gala, complete with her torso being ornamented with a butterfly. This butterfly, in contrast to the gala gown's teal-blue butterfly, was a brilliant cerise. In Fluttershy's ears were two vermilion studs shaped like lightning bolts, symbolic of her engagement to Rainbow Dash.

Smolder's eyes widened and her slit pupils dilated to near-perfect circles. Ocellus was first to speak up, exclaiming, "Professor Fluttershy, you look beautiful!"

"Oh, hello, girls! Thank you," their kindness teacher replied, a blush rising to her cheeks as she took a small step back.

"I didn't hear you come in. Welcome!" Rarity greeted the students. "I'm not one for recycling old designs, but the idea of memories just felt so thematic with these two that I couldn't resist!"

"Is it cheesy to say that this is going to be magical?" Smolder asked, working up the courage to speak despite her self-consciousness.

With a giggle, Rarity answered, "Yes, darling, but I think that's half the fun."

"Plus, that's something I'm counting on. Honestly, I can't think of anypony who gives me that spark the way Rainbow Dash does," Fluttershy added. "Even when she's cross with me, she's always there for me and helps me find the strength I need to carry on."

"It seems like the feeling's mutual to me," Ocellus claimed observantly. "She's been even peppier ever since you surprised her by asking her to marry you."

"We _all_ were surprised by that," Rarity informed the students, glancing slyly at Fluttershy.

"Even I was surprised I was the one to ask," Fluttershy sheepishly admitted. "I'm glad I did, though. I can't picture myself spending forever with anypony else. I had my struggles growing up as a filly. Cloudsdale had…well, it had a mold of sorts that its Pegasi were expected to fit, and I just didn't. I tried and tried, but I was trying to be somepony I wasn't. It was Rainbow Dash who stuck by my side and made me realize that it was okay to be different, even if it made me an outsider."

"That's relatable," Smolder mumbled.

"Yeah, King Thorax has a similar story before the changeling race became one that shared love instead of taking it," Ocellus explained, keeping Smolder's affinity for cuteness under wraps.

"Everypony's a little different, so it's important for us to realize that we don't always get to become what we think we're supposed to be," Fluttershy told the students in a loving, motherly tone. "Even if Rainbow Dash didn't become a Wonderbolt, she would still work tirelessly to better herself. I'm sure of that much."

"Speaking of which, I think I can rest easy knowing I sent Sweetie Belle over to help dear Rainbow Dash prepare. Applejack isn't exactly known for having a tender touch," Rarity said to no creature in particular, her gaze shifting to a nearby window.

Meanwhile, at Sweet Apple Acres, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were in the barn, helping Rainbow Dash into her dress, which was also an upgraded version of the dress from her first Grand Galloping Gala. The key differences were that the hues were made lighter and the golden laurel was refashioned into a veil. Applejack had been confined to a wooden stool in the corner.

"You're hot to trot, Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo exclaimed, wearing a small tuxedo.

"Yeah! And we can't wait to be yer flower fillies!" Apple Bloom added.

"I couldn't think of any other fillies for the job," Rainbow Dash chuckled, her butterfly-shaped engagement earrings twinkling from the light coming into the barn.

"Hey," Sandbar greeted as he and Yona entered the barn.

"Why Professor Applejack in the corner?" Yona asked with exponentially growing curiosity when she spotted her honesty professor on the stool.

"She put the dress on too tight, and then she almost ripped it," Sweetie Belle informed them.

"It ain't my fault that thing is finnicky!" Applejack exclaimed.

"How's a dress finnicky?" Apple Bloom retorted.

Sandbar approached Applejack, smiling kindly. He said, "Don't worry, Professor Applejack. Fancy clothes aren't really all that intuitive."

"Thank you, sugarcube. Finally, somepony who understands!" Applejack exclaimed.

"Is Professor Rainbow Dash excited?" Yona asked the cyan Pegasus.

"Am I ever!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, swooning a bit. "Nopony gets me the way she does. I'm comfortable letting myself be vulnerable around her, and she helps me shake off my doubts in so many ways. She's supported me through thick and thin. I know I can be pretty impatient, but I used to be _so much worse_! Plus, have you seen those eyes and that mane? Don't even get me started on her voice. Her personality just ties it all together! She's got her own groove, and that's honestly really cool."

"I can't picture you feeling vulnerable," Sandbar piped up, having always held the widespread image of the indomitable Rainbow Dash.

"It happens to every creature, but when you find that creature who's seen you at your best and worst…I don't really know how to explain it. You just sort of know, you know?" Rainbow Dash explained. She knew it wasn't a very good way to describe the love in her heart, but how does one generalize something so personal and unique so that another can understand.

"Yeah, I think I get it. Kind of," Sandbar responded, glancing at Yona and smiling. Yona returned his glance and flashed him a grin of her own, nodding in agreement.

Sweetie Belle exclaimed, "I hope that when I fall in love, I feel what it is you're talking about!"

"A couple years ago, I would have called it namby-pamby, but the way you talk about it, love sounds like the most awesome feeling in the whole world!" Scootaloo admitted.

"Now girls, love ain't the kind of thing ya can jump the gun on," Applejack advised from the stool.

"Applejack's right. You can't force or pressure yourself to fall in love. You don't even _have_ to fall in love. Lots of creatures don't, and they end up perfectly happy anyway," Rainbow Dash told the fillies. "I'm happy to have fallen for a mare like Fluttershy and that she fell for me, though. We spent basically all of last week moving me out of my old place and into her cottage."

"That was a gorgeous cloud manor," Sweetie Belle reminisced, recalling many times where Rainbow Dash's former residence was visible from the middle of Ponyville on a clear day. Rainbow Dash smiled, recalling the years she had called it home. She had a new home now, though, and she couldn't wait to go back there with her new wife.

Apple Bloom began loading a couple of baskets with apple blossom petals. Once she had filled one, Sweetie Belle claimed it as Scootaloo started hooking up the passenger cart to her scooter.

The day passed with every creature preparing themselves for the big ceremony, and as the time drew nearer, friends old and new gathered outside Twilight's castle and eagerly awaited the pair of brides to appear. Twilight would periodically peek at her notecards when she thought no one was looking. Discord, who sat in the front row next to Fluttershy's mother, blew his nose rather loudly into a handkerchief of a spontaneous nature. He looked down at the Pegasus and apologetically said to her, "My apologies, dear, I just…I'm so happy for dear Fluttershy. She's given new life to my centuries-old existence."

"You're Discord!" Mrs. Shy gasped in realization and rested a hoof on his arm. "You're my little girl's friend! Oh, she has told me so much about you. Thank you for always being there to spice up her life."

"Wait, you're her mother? Oh, let me tell you that your daughter is a peach; truly a time and a half, as the foals say. I think. I can never keep up, so I try to get ahead instead."

"Isn't this supposed to start soon?" Gilda piped up. Her companion, Greta, wrapped a wing around her soothingly.

"Wait for it…!" Windy Whistles, Rainbow Dash's mother, cautioned giddily.

"Wait for what? Ooh! I see something! Aww, is that a projectile?" Autumn Blaze the Kirin asked as a dust cloud came barreling towards them. In front of it was the collective of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Scootaloo pulling them along on her scooter.

The orange filly skidded down the aisle at breakneck speed, stopping just before Twilight and Spike. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, as Scootaloo had barreled down the aisle, had released a storm of apple blossom petals. As the last of petals fluttered to the ground, Rainbow Dash and her father, Bow Hothoof, had begun their march down the aisle. Bow had, as Shining Armor would say, liquid pride welling up in his eyes. Rainbow Dash had a record-breaking grin that would rival even Pinkie Pie's cheer.

"Now get on up there," Bow sniffled. Before climbing the stairs, their 'altar', Rainbow Dash whirled and gave her father a tight hug.

"Love you, Dad!" Rainbow Dash squealed.

"Hehe! Love you, too, baby," Bow replied and returned the hug. He then watched as his beloved daughter made her way up the stairs. He took his place in the crowd, right by his wife in the front row.

Then, it was Fluttershy's turn. All who were gathered gave her and her father their undivided attention, but there was only on whose gaze Fluttershy matched. Rainbow Dash, though she and Fluttershy both had veiled faces, knew the gentle, nurturing aura that came with nearly all Fluttershy expressions, save for the Stare.

As Fluttershy's father walked her to the crystal castle, he whispered in her ear, "Your mother and I are so proud of you, honey."

"Thank you, Dad," Fluttershy whispered back, not averting her gaze from her special somepony and the source of strength that served to propel and inspire her. She knew her life was headed towards great change, and she was ready. Zecora had once told her that a heart that held love dear was not void of nor ruled by fear. Thus far, Fluttershy found that rhyme to hold water, because the tremor in every step was not out of cowardice, but restraint and excitement. It took all she had to hold decorum and not bolt down the aisle and up Twilight's front steps.

Each step was a step closer to a destiny for which Fluttershy worked tirelessly. First was coming out of her shell and learning to muster the courage to be the kind of friend that her friends needed. Opening and maintaining the animal sanctuary had been another milestone for her. Then, Twilight had called upon her to actively teach the youth of the world about kindness through her own experiences via the School of Friendship. Her anticipation and excitement had been so domineering that she had hardly noticed when she and her father reached the steps. The father and daughter shared a brief hug before Fluttershy ascended to her bride. She took her place in front of Rainbow Dash, and each of them used their right hoof to life the veil of her fiancée.

"Hey," Rainbow Dash greeted, beaming.

"H-hey," Fluttershy returned the greeting. "You look amazing."

"Back at you," Rainbow Dash replied with a wink.

"Ponies of all tribes, members of all present races, we are gathered here today to witness the loving union of two long-time friends who've decided to make their connection ever-deeper. These two ponies are proof that a bond that's well cared for can and will stand the test of time, and it's my honor as the Princess of Friendship to inform you that they're two of my best friends and two of Equestria's most beloved champions: Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy," Twilight spoke, projecting her voice and earning the attention of those gathered for the wedding.

Spike glanced up at Twilight and smirked. No creature would have ever believed that she had been so nervous hours ago. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy seemed especially happy that of all the officials in Equestria with the proper authority, the one that they considered to be among their dearest and truest friends was the one performing their wedding ceremony.

"You two were two of the ponies who taught me and now teach an entire student body about the magic of friendship, but yours is a friendship that goes even further beyond. Yours is a romantic relationship, rooted in a friendship from your childhood and cultivated over the course of your whole lives. The floor is yours. Please, exchange your vows," Twilight finished, yielding her time and attention to her friends.

"You can go first," Fluttershy offered, receiving a nod from Rainbow Dash.

"Fluttershy, you're awesome. You've made leaps and bounds in your struggles to get out there and be more social, and it's inspiring to watch you move forward. You're gorgeous inside and out. Any creature who disagrees can fight me at the reception! Fluttershy, you…you're the pony who I can turn to for anything, especially when it matters. Sure, I can turn to Pinkie for some fun pranks or Applejack when I'm feeling sporty and rambunctious, but with you, I can just be. I promise that I'll be the best wife ever, and that we can move forward and become better, stronger ponies together," Rainbow Dash vowed. "And I won't rope you into Nightmare Night."

"Oh, Rainbow…" Fluttershy sniffled. "I love you, Rainbow Dash."

"I love you, too," Rainbow Dash replied, a joyous tear trickling down her cheek. "Now it's your turn."

"Yeah… Rainbow Dash, you inspire every creature you come across, especially me. Honestly, if you hadn't helped me ever since we were fillies, where would I be? I have no idea, but I don't have to know. I know I certainly wouldn't be as happy as I am without you. Rainbow Dash, I will love you forever, and you have my word that I will be your home and hearth. You fill my life with joy and laughter, and you inspire me to go one. To you, I promise all my love," Fluttershy vowed. "If you don't mind, that is."

"Aww…!" Rainbow Dash cooed.

Twilight wiped the tears from her own eyes before speaking up once more. "Rainbow Dash, do you take Fluttershy to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, in times good and bad, until death do you part?"

"Yeah, I do," Rainbow Dash replied, accompanying her response with a nod.

"And Fluttershy, do you take Rainbow Dash to be your lawfully wedded life wife, to snuggle and to cuddle, in sickness and in health, in good times and bad, until death do you part?" Twilight asked Fluttershy.

"I do," Fluttershy responded.

"Given that, by the power vested in me by the nation of Equestria, I now pronounce you mare and wife. You may kiss the bride!" Twilight announced. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy brought themselves into a passionate, harmonious kiss that was met with uproarious applause from their guests. When the two Pegasi broke the kiss, they affectionately hugged each other and nuzzled each other's faces. Twilight, Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie gathered around their newly wedded friends and hugged them.

It was the first step in Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash's married lives, and together, they were already moving forward in great strides.


End file.
